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The first question I asked after reading this chapter was, what in the world is an ephod? The golden ephod Gideon made would have been similar to a breastplate. It was a replica of a colorful garment worn by the high priest. Most scholars agree that Gideon’s intention was not to create an idol by making this altar. His intention was probably to use this as a symbol (and reminder) of the worship of God. After all, he did point the people back to God when they wanted to make him their ruler.
But good intentions are not enough. It was wisdom that was lacking. In fact, in Exodus 20:25 God gives specific instructions for setting up an altar.
‘If you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.
Exodus 20:25 NASB
It seems like a strange commandment. Why was it so harmful for a person to use their artistic ability to carve out a beautiful altar? Because it would distract from the real purpose – God himself. He required unfinished stone to be used for the altar so that the focus would remain on what was really important. Here, we see Gideon’s ephod doing the same thing. People came to worship the golden statue instead of remembering why it was there in the first place.
Do we do this today? Of course! Our hearts are susceptible to wandering toward the creation instead of the Creator. We are worshipers by nature, and will do so whether we know it or not. The first question we must reflect upon is obvious. Are there idols in our life that steal the focus from God?
The second question is not so obvious and maybe a question we’ve never considered. Are we, like Gideon, unintentionally creating idols for other people to stumble on?
False teachers rely heavily on steering people away from God toward human thinking. It takes the Holy Spirit’s discernment and wisdom to not let worldly passions become idols. Rather than dismiss this idea as irrelevant or unimportant, we need to be sober in judgment and evaluate if we are engaged in idol worship.
Anything that steals our focus away from God is fair game. It could be possessions, our career, a relationship, sports, entertainment, goals, greed, addictions, etc. Even good-intentioned things like Gideon’s ephod can become a stumbling block. As you can clearly see throughout the book of Judges, the heart is deceitful and longs to go back to these empty cisterns. Jesus is the only One who can truly satisfy.